Bean-harvester.



W. L. KNIGHT.

BEAN HARVESTER.

APPLICATION man mmza. 191s.

1,297,867. Patented Mar. 18, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

W. L. KNIGHT. BEAN HARVESTER.

APPLICATION man mmzs, 1am.

Patented Mar. 18,1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2- W. L. KN I G H T.

BEAN HARVESTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 28, 1 91 a.

Patented Mar. 18,1919.

SHEET 3.

-3 SHEETS UNITED STATES, PAT T -OFFICE.

I WILLIAM L. KNIGHT, F FLINT, MICHIGAN.

' BEAN-HARVESTEB.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented M r, 18 1919.

Application filed March 28, 1918. Serial No.225,222.

To all whom it may concern: v Be it known that I, WILLIAM L. KNIGHT,

a citizen of the United States of America,

residing at Flint, in the county of Genesee and State of Michigan, have invented new and useful Improvements in Bean-Harvest ers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference generally to improvements in that class of inventions known as harvesters and more particularly relates to a bean harvester.

' mentioned character wherein improved oothe operative lifting and elevating mechanism is employed for acting upon the cut vines to consequently assure of the vinesbeing deposited, in the receiver on the frame of the machine.

As a further improvement the present in ventien embraces the provision'of a machine of the above character wherein the receiver or catcher into whichthe cut vines are deposited is capable of dropping the load on ground, the construction of the receiver being such that it'will automatlcally return to a supported position subsequent to the dropping of the vines upon the same.

' More particularly this invention contemplates the provision ofnovel motion transmittingme-ans for actuating all of the working parts simultaneously during forward movement of the machine.

Aniong the other aims and objects of this invention may be recited the provision of a device of the character described with a view to compactness, and in which the number of parts are few, the construction simple,

the cost ofproduction low high- Other improvements and novel details in the construction and arrangement of the various parts ofthe apparatus will. be brought out'more in detail in the description and the efiiciency to follow, which for a clear understanding of the invention should be considered in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof and, wherein 1s.d1s-

chine;

closed for the purpose of illustration a convenient and satisfactory embodiment of the invention. It is to be noted-in this connection that minor changes in the construction and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the principle of operation of thevarious parts.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a. side elevation of the 'ma- 'Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the invention;

Fig. 4 is an elevational detail of the cutters;

ceiver Fig. is a detail of a modified form of the cutters.

Fig. 7 is a detail view of the connection between the catcher and the main frame.

.Fig. 8 is a top. plan view of the cutting disks shown in Fig. 6. P

Sim'lar characters of reference are employed in all the above described views, to

indicate corresponding parts. I

Referring now, more particularly, to the,

accompanying drawings, there is provlded a frame indicated in its entirety by the numeral 1 being rectangular in form and com- Fig. 5 is a detail of the catcher or. re- I posed of spaced parallel side bars 2, front and rear cross bars 3 and intermediate cross bars 4; Stub axles 5 are mounted on the side bars 2 and extend outwardly therefrom while journaled on the stub axles are supportingwheels 6. On the inner -portion of the hub of one of the wheels 6 are carried sprocket wheels 7 for a purpose that will hereinafter become apparent.

With a view toward providing the improved cutting means a shaft 8 is journaled transversely through the side bars and has mounted onv one projecting end thereof a sprocket. wheel 9 about which is Qtrained a chain 10 and-this chain alsooperatesabout the 'sprocket wheels 7 so asto transmit mo tion from one'of the wheels to the shaft 8.

'Journaled' in suitable bearings 11 on the front bar 3 are vertically arranged shafts 12 in the lower endsof which are rigidly se curedby suitable fastening devices 13 disk cutters 14, Bevel gears 15 are carried by the upper endsof the shafts 12 and mesh with other bevel gears 16 carried with the shaft 8. In this connection it is to be noted disks 1 so as to cooperate with the cutting disks when the latter are rotated to cut the vines at a point adjacent the ground.

As intimated, improved means have been provided for raising or elevating the cut vines. in reducing this feature of the inventionto practice an elevating conveyor is employed and preferably consists of side bars 22 through the respective ends of which are journaled shafts 23 and 2% both of which carr rollers 25 over wvhich operates an endless slatted belt 26. This conveyer is swinginglyv mounted between the side bars of the frame as at 27 the lower end being normally V ually operable pawl positioned near the ground in the rear oi the cutters. in maintaining the parts in such position a segmental rack 28 is carried by one side of the main frame while pivoted centrally thereof is a bell crank lever 29 to one portion of which is pivotally connected a link 30. The outer end of this link is pivotally connected as at 31 to one of the side bars of the conveyer. The opposite portion of the bellcrank lever constitutes a handle 32 and has mounted thereon a man- 33 designed for engagement with any one ofthe teeth of the rack bar 28. This pawl of course isswingable with the bell crank lever but when released holds the lever in various adjustedpositions consequently maintaining the conveyor in such adplsted position.

Cooperating with the conveyor in assuring of the lifting and the conveyor is a placing of the vines on lifting or beating member indicated in its entirety by the numeral 34. This lifting member in the present instance consists ofspaced spiders 35 the opposed arms otwhich support paddles 36 which, like the arms, are;

radially arranged with respect to the shaft 37 onwhich the spiders are mounted. Suitsable brackets, 38 are mounted on the lower ends of the side bars 22 and serve as. a means for rotatably supporting the shaft 3? sokthat the heating or lifting member will be posi tioned above the lower end of the conveyer.

In operating the beatingmemher and the conveyer simultaneously with the cutting means a sprocket wheel 39 is mounted on one projecting end of theshaft 37 while a chain 40 operates about this sprocket'wheel 39 and also about another sprocket wheel l-EZ carried by the other projecting end of the shaft 8. A gear d3 is carried by the other projecting end of the shaft 37 and meshes with the correspondingly formed gear as carried with the projecting end of the lower shaft 24 ofthe conveyer. By this arrangement it is appreciated that owing to the sprocket and chain connections 39, 40 and d2 the shaft 37 will be rotated simultaneously with the shaft 8 and in the same direction so -that the heater or lifting member will throw the vines upon the lower end of the conveyor. During this movement owing to the meshing gears 43 and l-i the endless conveyor will be operated in an opposite. direction from the shaft and will conduct the vines upwardly.

Suitable means have been provided for receiving the vines which are deposited from the elevatmg conveyor, in the present instance eonsisting of a receiver or catcher indicated in its entirety by the numeral a5. This receiver embodies a plurality of longitudinally extending fingers 46 arranged in spaced relation with each other and secured adjacent their inner ends to a cross supporting bar 47 the inner ends beingcurved inwardly as at l8 and are bound together by means of a band 49. Loops 50 are formed on the extreme terminals while mounted within and-secured to the loops is a sleeve 56. A U- shaped bracket '57 is carried by the rear cross bar of the frame and consists of an intermediate portion 58 and spaced arms 59 between whichis mounted a pintle 60 which serves to swingingly support the sleeve 56 of the receiver. Tn assuring of the automatic dumping of the vines from the receiver when the receiver has become loaded a trip finger 61 is secured rigidly to the sleeve while the outer portion of the trip is normally engaged beneath a lug 63 formed on the intermediate portion 58. Inasmuch as the inner portion of the finger is resilient the weight of the load on the outer portions of the fingers of the receiver W'lll automatically release the outer portion of the trip finger 61 from .the lug to permit the receiver to swing downwardly and dump the load. For automatically returning the ref c'eiver to a supporting-"position suitable resilient means are provided, in the present instance consisting of a springwhich is coiled as at 64: and positioned about the p-intle while the respective ends bear against the bracket 57 and the under-portion of the re ceiver 45 and tensioned so as to'lift the receiver after the dumping action. In this connection it is to be understood that the spring has suficient strength toforce the head 62 beneath the lug 63. p 1

Tn Fig. 6 there is shown a slightly modified form of the invention. lln this instance instead of employing the shoes 20"an additional pair of shafts 64: are journaled on the front bar of the frame and are operably con- 13@ nected with the shaft 8 in the same manner as the shafts 1.2 are connected in the preferred form. Cutting disks 65 are secured to the lower ends of these shafts and cooperate with the adjacent cutting disks 14 the adj a'cent disks slightly overlapping each other so as to assure of an eflective cutting action,

The mode of operation of the present invention may be reviewed as follows Assuming that the parts have been assembled in the manner described and as indicated in the drawings, upon forward movement of the machine the chain 10 will transmit rotary motion from the sprocket wheel 7 to the sprocket wheel 9 and rotate the shaft 8 in the same direction. In-

asmuc-h as the bevel gears 16 of the shaft 8 mesh with the bevel gears on the shafts 12 the disk cutters 14 will rotate in opposite directions or away from each other and cooperate with the blades or shoes to cut adjacent rows of beans at points near the ground. During this movement the beating member will rotate in the same direction as the shaft 8 by reason of the fact that the chain 10 operates about the sprocket wheel 4G2 and the sprocket wheel 39. Since the gears 43 and 44 mesh with each other the endless conveyer 26 will move rearwardly or upwardly to carry all vines that are thrown thereon by the beater I and serves to subsequently deposit the vines in the receiver 45. When a sufficient load has been placed in the receiver or carrier the spring will be released from the lug 63 and will be moved downwardly against the tension of the spring to permit of the dumping action and after this action the coil spring 6 1 will actuate "to return the receiver to a self-supporting position. 1

i It is believed that in view of the foregoing description, a further detailed description of the operation of the invention is enlimited sense, it is also to 'be understood that the language used in the following axles carried thereby, wheels journaled on the aXles, a sprocket carried with one of the supporting wheels, a transverse shaft journaled in the frame near the forward ends thereof, a sprocket wheel carried by one projecting end of the shaft, a chain operating about both of the sprocket wheels for rotating the shaft simultaneously with the moving of the wheels, a pair of cutting shoes depending from the frame, a pair of vertical shafts journaled in the frame, intermeshing gears carried by the transverse shaft and the vertical shaft so that the vertical shaft will rotate simultaneously with the transverse shaft, a cutting disk carried by the lower ends of the vertical shafts and cooperating with the adjacent shoes, and elevating and conveying mechanism operably mounted on the frame in the rear of the out ters and operably connected with the transverse shaft. 7

2. In a bean harvester, a main supporting frame, cutting means operably mounted thereon, elevating and conveying mechanism mounted on the frame and operably connected with the cutting means, a bracket secured to the rear end of the frame beneath the upper end of the elevating and conveying mechanism, a pintle mounted through the bracket, a sleeve disposed about the pintle, a receiver connected to the sleeve, a catch formed on the bracket, a resilient trip finger extending from the sleeve and nor mallyengageable beneath the catch and self-releasing when the receiver has become loaded, and a spring member disposed beneath the receiver and connected to the pintle and to the bracket and exerting a tension on the receiver for automatically returning the receiver to a load receiving pdsition subsequent to the dumping action.

whereof I aflix my signature.

In testimony WILLIAM L. KNIGHT. 

